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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. present — a gift
  3. rule — a law
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. pass — a permit
  9. spring — of water
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. present — there
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — government
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. present — the time now
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com